The Indian music legend, who longtime friend George Harrison hailed as "the godfather of world music," leaves a remarkable legacy

Shankar was in frail health when he attended his daughter’s April concert here at the Balboa Theater, where he was in a wheelchair and used required supplemental oxygen to breathe.

Yet he re-bounded sufficiently enough to play a Nov. 4 concert with Anoushka in Long Beach. It was the final performance in a remarkable career that also saw him excel in the worlds of film, dance and beyond. His music, like the man himself, was intensely spiritual, always seeking a higher, more exalted plane of existence -- and always seeking to share those moments of transcendence and aural bliss with his listeners.

Shankar's collaborators over the years have ranged from Harrison, French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal and American minimalist composer Philip Glass to legendary Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, Japanese shakuhachi player Hosan Yamamoto and some of the world's most prestigious conductors and orchestras.

Shankar's students included Harrison, guitarist John McLaughlin and jazz saxophone giant John Coltrane (who named his son Ravi in Shankar's honor). Shankar's sitar-playing daughter, Anoushka, was his first female student. She first toured and recorded with him when she was a teenager and their fruitful partnership yielded many musical riches for both.

“When I say ‘new,’ it’s based on tradition, but new ideas. I’m bombarded by so much (stimuli) that it becomes very painful sometimes! I’m amazed how, by the press of a button on a computer, you can learn about anything you want today. But if people could go deeper into things, and not just skim the surface, that would be a great thing.”

In 1997, Shankar became a Regent’s lecturer at UC San Diego. He taught privately at his Encinitas home as recently as last year. The same year saw him launch the nonprofit Ravi Shankar Foundation, which was based in North County.

During his U-T San Diego interview last year at his Encinitas home, a smiling Shankar recalled his experience at Woodstock with a mix of emotions.

“There were half a million people (at Woodstock) and it was raining, and the music was like incidental music," Shankar said.

"They were enjoying it, but I couldn’t communicate (to them). At the end, I said: ‘No more.’ I had so many programs lined up, big concerts and (festivals). I canceled everything, killing my whole career for almost a year and a half. Then I slowly came back into (Indian) classical music.”

In 1971, Shankar shared the stage with Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Harrison and fellow ex-Beatle Ringo Starr at the Concert for Bangladesh, pop music’s first all-star benefit. He organized the event with then-student Harrison, who became a lifelong confidante.

“With George, it was something very special — the whole concept of Indian music and tradition — because he was very much interested in our philosophy, spirituality and the old texts, the Vedas. I was very happy to see such a serious approach,” Shankar said of the late Harrison.